Wednesday, December 17, 2014

A group of University of Colorado Engineering students in a 2014 Fall Semester class taught by Associate Professor Melinda Piket-May spent the semester working on projects to design simple adaptive technologies that aid increased independence for some of the individuals Imagine! serves. I invite you to check out some of the videos of the students demonstrating their projects. The videos are short and well worth your time – this is some amazing stuff.

Resonating Head Band

This device can act as a cost effective hearing aid (even works underwater!) or just as a fun way to listen to music.

Ultimate Music Experience

This project allows an individual served by Imagine! who has a hearing
disability to “hear” music through vibrations in water.

Smart Shower

Created to allow an individual served by Imagine! to shower independently through verbal prompts on an mp3.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Pictured
from left to right are: Mason Turnage, who works for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department; Sarah Baglee, who works for
Imagine!’s Early Intervention department; Emily
Pitt, who works for Imagine!’s
Innovations department; Elena Ciaravino, who works for Imagine!’s Out & About department; Cassie Rogers, who works for
Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department; and Meagan Rountree, who works for
Imagine!’s Case Management department.

One of the
highlights of this Leadership Development Group experience has been attending
the 14th annual Coleman Institute Conference on Cognitive Disability
and Technology. Held at the Omni Hotel in Broomfield, CO, the Coleman Institute
Conference is a yearly event focusing on all things tech for people
experiencing a cognitively disabled. It is a world-renowned event with a
diverse attendance, but all are there for one goal: to bring a wide range of
backgrounds and perspectives together for the purpose of collaborating on new
ideas to perpetuate the ability of our community to access new technology and
information. The LDG was invited along with staff members from Imagine!’s
technology department, executive team, and various other departments.It was an honor for us to be a part of such a
progressive group, and to see first hand what is being done in our community
and around the country for people with cognitive disabilities and those who
provide care.

With a full
day of seminars and breakout sessions, we headed into the conference room
anticipating lots of great information, and planning to return to our
respective departments with new knowledge and tools to further develop the
technology we use for our clients. We expected to enhance our ability to
understand the importance of new technology and what those resources mean for
our future. The itinerary did not disappoint.

The first
major presentation at the conference focused on The Declaration of the Rights
of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and Information Access.
Please take a moment to view the declaration and watch an informational video
about the document and its history: http://colemaninstitute.org/declaration.
It was powerful to listen to the presenters outline the document and how it is
being used to enhance the lives of those with cognitive disabilities. This is
an incredible collaborative movement toward improving the way people with
cognitive disabilities access technology and information, thereby increasing
independence and providing equal quality of life for all.

Another great
presentation focused on self-advocacy and how its definition is changing with
the use of new technology and platforms. “Selfie Advocacy” showcased new tools
for education, health and care for people with intellectual and cognitive
disabilities. One of the latest and coolest tools being developed now is the
Wiki, a personalized, easy-build website designed for people with varied
abilities to show who they are and what they’re all about in a way that
previously wasn’t possible. To learn more and to see some other projects,
please visit www.rixcentre.org.

Of the many
breakout sessions available, a favorite was “Collective Empowerment: The Family
Triad.” This session had a panel discussing the understanding of the
perspectives of people with disabilities, and also the perspectives of their
parents and siblings. As a sibling of a person with a disability, this
presentation was of particular interest. We all benefitted from hearing the voice
of Cathy, a self-advocate and the vice-president of Self Advocates Becoming
Empowered. She brought up interesting points about self-advocacy and how it
relates to the way families advocate for their children with disabilities. We
also heard from Danielle Frost, a representative of Colorado Parent to Parent,
and from Shea Tanis, the Associate Director of the Coleman Institute, who is a
sibling advocate. The unique viewpoints from all three presenters made for a
well-rounded view of what it means to advocate for people with disabilities,
and how they advocate for themselves in new and innovative ways.

We really
appreciated the opportunity to take part in such a fantastic day of learning
and new ideas. Technology available to us these days is abundant, and making
sure that we all have equal access to it is increasingly important as we
progress as humanity.

And it rained,
which, as a Seattle native, made it even that much more fun.

If you
haven’t already, please request to join the Leadership
Development Group on Facebook. You will need to click on the “Request to
Join” button, and once your request is approved, you will be able to view the
comments and be part of the discussion.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Apostrophe is a national publication promoting inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their stories and photos show people achieving independence, contributing to their communities, and enjoying life.

In the article, Stephanie explains why using technology is so important to those with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and gives examples of how she has incorporated technology in the classes she taught while working in Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department.

Friday, December 5, 2014

On Wednesday of this week, a group of volunteers from the University of Colorado at Boulder stopped by Imagine!’s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. The volunteers helped raise the levels of “Holiday Cheer” with art and craft, and a round or three of Christmas Bingo. They even brought small gifts for each of the residents, which if you didn’t know can cause a pizza party to spontaneously erupt. All reports were that the pizza was delicious!

To top off the day, residents from the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome, our new friends from CU Boulder, and residents from Imagine!’s new Santa Fe home in Broomfield all headed out to watch a dress rehearsal of the Christmas Carol that will be playing on the CU Boulder campus.

We'd like to send out a big "thank you" to Shannon who is the supervisor at Imagine!'s Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder for sharing these photos and story with us.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Congratulations to Kate and Kendra, Ramble On Pearl's first two apprentices! They have graduated from the apprenticeship program, and are now Master Apprentices. This means that they may now work shifts as a Ramble Associate without the need of a job coach.

Both gals are amazing workers who have gained a lot of skills while in the apprenticeship program. Kate and Kendra are hoping to someday translate the skills that they’ve developed at Ramble On Pearl into working with animals. Get in touch with Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source (CLS) department if you know of a business that would benefit from these smiling faces working hard for them!

Here is a link to a recent story about Ramble On Pearl from the Daily Camera.

Check out Ramble on Pearl at 1638 Pearl to shop savvy and change lives!

We'd like to send out a big "thank you" to Imagine!'s CORE/Labor Source Department for sharing this story with us.